Former CNN Producer John Griffin Gets 19 Years for Sexual Assault Against Minor

Last December, John Griffin, originally from Stamford, Connecticut, pled guilty in federal court to engaging in sexual misconduct with a child, age 9, at his Vermont ski home using interstate commerce to lure her. On Tuesday, he was given his final sentence of 19 years in federal prison and 15 years of supervised release.

The plea agreement states that in the summer of 2020, the ex-CNN producer met a woman online and persuaded her to bring her small daughter to his ski home in Ludlow, Vermont. Griffin gave her $3,000 to fly from Nevada to Boston, where he met her and drove them to the $1.8 million house.

According to the indictment, which was previously sealed, Griffin declared that “a woman is a woman regardless of her age” and asserted that the expression “wanton whore” applies to “the core of any” female.

Griffin sent the mother of two young girls text messages that read, “One of the big lies of this society is that women are delicate innocent angels and they are in actuality, naturally, the dirtiest sluts possible, in EVERY metric.”

The CNN producer is reportedly said to have messaged the mother, telling her that her 13-year-old daughter should be “trained properly” and noting, “When handled appropriately, a woman is a woman regardless of her age.”

According to the charges against him, he “sexually trained girls as young as 7 years old” and told a mother that her 14-year-old daughter “would be a good candidate for such training.” According to reports, he first offered doing the training via video chat, during which he “planned to instruct the 14-year-old and her mother to remove their clothing and touch each other,” before declaring that in-person sessions would include “spanking” and “c–k worship.”

According to court records, the girl later said that she had been sexually assaulted on the property.

On December 11, 2021, a day after being indicted by a grand jury, Griffin was taken into custody. His original plea was not guilty, but he eventually agreed to a plea bargain.

According to ABC News, federal prosecutors dismissed two additional allegations of luring of a minor against Griffin as part of the plea agreement in 2022.

In addition to reparation, he must stay away from juveniles under the age of 18 unless supervised by an adult who has been approved by his probation supervisor. Playgrounds, schools, and amusement parks are all off-limits, as is any other place where children congregate, unless his probation supervisor gives the green light.

According to CNN, Griffin worked with them for over eight years until being sacked after his arrest in 2021. He was the lead producer for CNN’s morning show while he was there, and he also worked on the show led by former anchor Chris Cuomo.